Ending a doctor-patient relationship
Staying with a doctor you're not happy with is as harmful as staying in a toxic relationship. If a visit to your doctor regularly leaves you feeling unsatisfied, unheard or even worse, it's likely time to move on.
Medical needs and circumstances shift, calling for a health care provider who aligns with your current situation. Even if you like your doctor, you may need to find a new one if your physician leaves your health insurance plan, you want a second opinion or you've developed a new health issue that requires a doctor with more expertise in that field.
Whatever the reason, while it may feel uncomfortable, terminating the doctor-patient relationship may be the healthiest decision you make. Read on to learn about the top 12 reasons you should change doctors and how to find a new one.
1. You and your doctor don't mesh.
One of the most important factors in any good doctor-patient relationship is having a sense of comfort and trust. Doctors need to know intimate details about your health that you may not even share with friends or family members. If you're not comfortable sharing this information, you and your doctor may not be the right match.
"You certainly don’t need to be friends – and probably shouldn’t be, in order to maintain professional boundaries," says Jennifer L. FitzPatrick, a certified speaking professional based in Chester, Maryland, and author of the book Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare. "But you should feel like they care about your well-being."
